Furniture glides or sliders are mounted to the terminal ends of the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the surface on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, furniture glides take the form of convex felt discs having a flat bottom that rest on the surface. These discs are mounted to the furniture legs by means of adhesive, nails or the like. Similarly, bumpers are often provided at the contact points of doors and/or drawers of a piece of furniture. These bumpers are often formed from a soft material such as felt to protect the contact points on the piece of furniture from the repeated closing of the doors and/or drawers thereof.
While functional for their intended purposes, these prior art furniture glides and bumpers have certain limitations. More specifically, with respect to prior furniture glides, the repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause premature wear of the felt disc due to the lack of rigidity and density thereof. Consequently, these prior furniture glides formed from felt discs may become detached from the bottoms of the pieces of furniture causing such bottoms to engage, and possibly damage, the flooring on which the pieces of furniture reside. With respect to prior bumpers, the felt members often loose their structural integrity due to the repeated contact with a corresponding door or drawer. This, in turn, may result in potential damage to the piece of furniture from the repeated contact of the door and/or drawer. In addition, the sound muffling properties of the bumper may be diminished.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a formed felt device that may be used as a bumper or as a furniture glide.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a formed felt device that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a method for forming a felt device that may be used as a bumper to quiet the closing of a door and/or a drawer on a piece of furniture or as a furniture glide for mounting on the terminal end of a leg of a piece of furniture in order to prevent damage to the floor on which the piece of furniture resides.
In accordance with the present invention, a bumper is provided for protecting a contact point of a surface from engagement with an object. The bumper includes a shell having first and second ends, an outer surface, and an inner surface defining a passageway through the shell between the first and second ends. A resilient material is positioned in the passageway and extends between the first end and the second end of the shell.
The passageway intersects the first end of the shell at a first opening and intersects the second end of the shell at a second opening. The first opening and the second opening have diameters such that the diameter of the first opening is less than the diameter of the second opening. The inner surface of the shell includes a first generally conical portion extending from the first opening in the first end of the shell. In addition, the inner surface of the shell may also include a second generally conical portion extending from the second opening in the second end of the shell. A ring projects radially from the outer surface of the shell at a location adjacent to the second end.
Alternatively, the inner surface of the shell may be defined by first and second sidewalls and first and second end walls. The first and second sidewalls intersect the first end of the shell and diverge from each other. In addition, the first and second end walls intersect the first end of the shell and diverge from each other.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a bumper is provided for protecting a contact point of a surface from engagement with an object. The bumper includes a shell having a first end having an opening therein; a second end having an opening therein; an inner surface defining a passageway that interconnects the opening in the first end of the shell and the opening in the second end of the shell; and an outer surface. A resilient material is positioned in the passageway and extends between the first end and the second end of the shell.
The first opening and the second opening have diameters such that the diameter of the first opening is less than the diameter of the second opening. The inner surface of the shell includes a first generally conical portion extending from the first opening in the first end of the shell and a second generally conical portion extending from the second opening in the second end of the shell. A ring projects radially from the outer surface of the shell at a location adjacent to the second end.
Alternatively, the inner surface of the shell may be defined by first and second sidewalls and first and second end walls. The first and second sidewalls intersect the first end of the shell and diverge from each other. Similarly, the first and second end walls intersect the first end of the shell and diverge from each other.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for fabricating a bumper that protects a contact point of a surface from engagement with an object. The method includes the step of providing a quantity of pliable felt having a predetermined configuration and an outer surface. A predetermined stimulus is applied to a first portion of the felt so as to form a rigid outer shell from the felt. The outer shell has first and second ends, an outer surface, and an inner surface defining a center in the outer shell. A second portion of the felt within the center of outer shell remains pliable.
The felt is formed from a plurality of fibers and the step of applying the predetermined stimulus includes the additional step of increasing the density of the fibers of the first portion of the felt. By way of example, the step of applying the predetermined stimulus may include the additional step of heating an outer portion of the quantity of felt. The outer portion of the quantity of felt is heated to a temperature greater than 275 degrees Fahrenheit, preferably, in the range of 325 degrees Fahrenheit to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Further, the step of applying the predetermined stimulus may include the additional step of decreasing the temperature of the quantity of felt to a predetermined value after the step of heating an outer portion of the quantity of felt. For example, the temperature of the quantity of felt may be decreased to a temperature of less than 200 degrees Fahrenheit.